A few days after Thanksgiving, Josh Rosen was still getting peppered with the questions we all dread.

How did you guys meet? What was that first connection like? Did he text you this week? Did you text back? Have you seen his arms?

"This feels like a dating show," Rosen said at one point with a smirk.

But he wasn't talking about dating, and the questions weren't coming from extended family members.

Rosen has a mentoring relationship with Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The two met before the 2018 draft through their agency, and an episode of "Destination: Dallas" featured them talking life and football as they tossed the ball back and forth.

On Sunday, Rosen and Rodgers will meet again, this time on opposite sidelines at Lambeau Field.

A 14-year vet, Rodgers has thrown for 3,271 yards, 20 touchdowns and just one interception this season.

Rosen is at 1,521 yards, with 10 touchdowns. As for interceptions?

"I think I’ve thrown that many picks with a zero on the end of it, or somewhere around there," he said a week earlier. (He's now at 11.)

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Linebacker becoming a real question mark for the Cardinals who face the Packers on Sunday.
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Rosen would definitely like to get his stats closer to Rodgers. He's been able to pick his brain, and on a variety of topics.

"He’s a highly intelligent guy," Rodgers said. "He has interests outside football. He’s a really curious guy. He’s interested in a lot of different things and always learning and reading and studying up on stuff. So, he knows a lot about a lot.

"I’m definitely related to that. He’s a talented player, as well. He has a good moxie about him. He has good leadership qualities, and he can throw the heck out of the ball, too."

The guidance from an all-time great is important to Rosen, but he echoed that there's a lot off the field he can learn from Rodgers too.

"It’s kind of nice in a world where everyone wants you to think less and do more football, it’s cool to talk to people who think about other things," Rosen said.

The two are similar in a number of ways. Both California natives, they're not afraid to breach other subjects. They both worked to galvanize fans to donate in response to the California fires. They've also both had some fiery statements of their own.

When asked if he liked Rosen's honestly, Rodgers gave a resounding "Hell yeah."

There are also some major differences for the two first-round draft picks. Rodgers didn't start until his third season, playing behind legend Brett Favre. He's had stability at coaching, while Rosen has rotated through coordinators. Rodgers thinks both of those can shake a rookie's confidence, but he likes where Rosen's head is at.

Now, Rosen hopes they'll see similarities emerge again. He'd like to emulate the way the two-time MVP buys time, finds windows and adjusts his footwork.

Rodgers is an architect of comebacks. He's known for his Hail Marys. Rosen, who's Jewish, jokes that his late-game heaves might need a different name.

But it's not just the big plays that Rosen dissects. He's watching Rodgers' sidearm on smaller pickups.

"It’s not about just how hard or far you can throw it," Rosen said during training camp, when he was still soaking in the NFL as a backup. "It’s being able to change your arm slot and delivery."

It's not an entirely new concept to Rosen, who mixed in some sidearm at UCLA. Some can already see parallels between Rosen and Rodgers at the professional level.

"Definitely when you look at the mechanics," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said in a conference call. "Some of the mechanics from the waist up. You definitely see ball carriage and the flexibility in the elbow and the shoulder. I could see some of that from Josh."

Others think it's too early to say for sure. Wilks thinks it's hard to compare right now. Rodgers says he hasn't watched enough film to decide.

He's still getting down other parts of his game before he gets fancy. Rosen is smart enough to know some of that will only come with time. After all, Rodgers thinks the 21 year old is an "old soul." (Rosen, meanwhile, raves that Rodgers is "that dude.")

The two talked some this past week. The mentoring relationship is great for Rosen, but hard when each is busy with his own games.

"I think it’s good, but from afar, during the season, I think it’s tough because you really don’t have that communication," coach Steve Wilks said. "I think, again, an offseason kind of thing where they can really sit down and Aaron can explain to him some of his growth pains during his early years."

Rodgers can also break down some of this year's pains. The 4-6-1 Packers are not where they want to be in the standings, but they're undefeated at home.

A week after watching Philip Rivers set records as he carved up the Cardinals defense, Rosen will now get to watch Rodgers try to avenge a Sunday night loss to the Vikings.

Rosen says he doesn't spend too much time breaking down what opposing quarterbacks are doing during the game itself, but he's certainly watching.

"I just watched with my jaw on the floor last week, just watching Philip do his thing," Rosen said. "I’m always rooting for other quarterbacks because it’s a really tough position."

Rodgers seems to be rooting for other quarterbacks, too. He likes helping out the next generation of gunslingers, whether that's in Green Bay or across the league.

So whatever happens Sunday, the relationship between the Packers great and the rookie will continue. Rosen hopes one day he'll get a ring out of it.